A Quotient Rule Integration by Parts FormulaJennifer Switkes (jmswitkes@csupomona.edu), California State Polytechnic Univer-sity, Pomona, CA 91768

In a recent calculus course, I introduced the technique of Integration by Parts asan integration rule corresponding to the Product Rule for differentiation. I showed mystudents the standard derivation of the Integration by Parts formula as presented in [1]:

By the Product Rule, if f (x) and g(x) are differentiable functions, then

d

dx

[f (x)g(x)

] = f (x)g′(x) + g(x) f ′(x).

Integrating on both sides of this equation,∫ [f (x)g′(x) + g(x) f ′(x)

]dx = f (x)g(x),

which may be rearranged to obtain∫f (x)g′(x) dx = f (x)g(x) −

∫g(x) f ′(x) dx .

Letting U = f (x) and V = g(x) and observing that dU = f ′(x) dx and dV =g′(x) dx , we obtain the familiar Integration by Parts formula∫

U dV = UV −∫

V dU. (1)

My student Victor asked if we could do a similar thing with the Quotient Rule.While the other students thought this was a crazy idea, I was intrigued. Below, I derivea Quotient Rule Integration by Parts formula, apply the resulting integration formulato an example, and discuss reasons why this formula does not appear in calculus texts.

By the Quotient Rule, if f (x) and g(x) are differentiable functions, then

d

dx

[f (x)

g(x)

]= g(x) f ′(x) − f (x)g′(x)

[g(x)]2 .

Integrating both sides of this equation, we get

f (x)

g(x)=∫

g(x) f ′(x) − f (x)g′(x)

[g(x)]2dx .

That is,

f (x)

g(x)=∫

f ′(x)

g(x)dx −

∫f (x)g′(x)

[g(x)]2 dx,

which may be rearranged to obtain∫f ′(x)

g(x)dx = f (x)

g(x)+∫

f (x)g′(x)

[g(x)]2dx .

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Letting u = g(x) and v = f (x) and observing that du = g′(x) dx and dv = f ′(x) dx ,we obtain a Quotient Rule Integration by Parts formula:∫

dv

u= v

u+∫

v

u2du. (2)

As an application of the Quotient Rule Integration by Parts formula, consider theintegral

∫sin(x−1/2)

x2dx .

Let

u = x1/2, dv = sin(x−1/2)

x3/2dx,

du = 1

2x−1/2 dx, v = 2 cos(x−1/2).

Then ∫sin(x−1/2)

x2dx = 2 cos(x−1/2)

x1/2+∫

2 cos(x−1/2)

x· 1

2x−1/2 dx

= 2 cos(x−1/2)

x1/2− 2

∫cos(x−1/2) ·

(− x−3/2

2

)dx

= 2 cos(x−1/2)

x1/2− 2 sin(x−1/2) + C,

which may be easily verified as correct.Why do we not find the Quotient Rule Integration by Parts formula in calculus

texts?First, the Quotient Rule Integration by Parts formula (2) results from applying the

standard Integration by Parts formula (1) to the integral∫dv

u

with

U = 1

u, dV = dv,

dU = − 1

u2du, V = v,

to obtain ∫dv

u=∫

U dV

= UV −∫

V dU

VOL. 36, NO. 1, JANUARY 2005 THE COLLEGE MATHEMATICS JOURNAL 59

= 1

u· v −

∫v ·(

− 1

u2

)du

= v

u+∫

v

u2du

as before.Secondly, there is the potential only for slight technical advantage in choosing for-

mula (2) over formula (1). An identical integral will need to be computed whetherwe use (1) or (2). The only difference in the required differentiation and integrationoccurs in the computation of du versus dU. In our example, for instance, we differen-tiated u = x1/2 rather than U = x−1/2.

Acknowledgment. The author wishes to thank Cal Poly Pomona student Victor Reynolds forhis insightful idea.

Reference

1. J. Stewart, Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 4th ed., Brooks/Cole, 1999.

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Estimating Definite IntegralsNorton Starr (nstarr@amherst.edu), Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002

Many definite integrals arising in practice can be difficult or impossible to evaluatein finite terms. Series expansions and numerical integration are two standard ways todeal with the situation. Another approach, primitive but often very effective, yieldscruder estimates by replacing a nasty integrand with nice functions that majorize orare majorized by it. With luck and skill, the bounds achieved suffice for the task athand. I was introduced to this method as a grad student instructor over forty years ago,when I had the good fortune to learn some innovative teaching methods from ArthurMattuck. His supplementary notes for MIT’s calculus course included a section onthe estimation of definite integrals by an approach barely covered in texts back then.Many first year calculus texts of that era touched on the method in connection withcomparison tests for improper integrals, but they seldom did anything with properintegrals.

The situation has improved somewhat in recent years, with prominent texts at leastmentioning the basic idea within the chapter introducing the definite integral. Some-times this is labeled the “Domination Rule” or “Comparison Property”. An informalsurvey shows that most such books offer very few, if any, exercises in the method,usually relatively trivial ones. The texts by Edwards & Penney [1] and Stewart [4] areexceptional in providing more than a token selection of such problems. Unfortunately,their exercises are duplicated in the early transcendental versions of these two texts,thus making no use of the broader array of available functions.

Here is a sketch of the way I develop this form of estimation in my intermediate cal-culus course. All integrals are understood to be over a closed, bounded interval [a, b]

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